Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Hearing Problems and Hearts

Ron has been having significant hearing problems, and is having an MRI taken tomorrow of his head, focusing on his left ear canal. The MRI will likely show nothing unusual. There is a small chance, though, that it could reveal an acoustic neuroma, which is a benign tumor that causes problems by creating pressure on the brain. A sizeable acoustic neuroma would require radiation to shrink or surgery to remove it, usually resulting in full recovery for the patient.

Neither Ron and nor I have had major surgery or even major medical problems, and neither have our parents in recent decades. We are confused and surprised, but doing fairly well at not worrying about the outcome. God is faithful and we know that, but we're human....support from others also gives us strength, of course.

So we emailed our support network of family, friends and clergy from our present church. We feel genuinely comforted by the few notes of kindness, wisdom, and humor that we received back. We are grateful for those who took a few minutes out of their busy days. I suppose that is how one deals with silence or indifference from people you care about.... focus on the positive and let God touch the hearts of the rest.